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The new class of inductees into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame includes the punk trio Green Day.

The group will join Lou Reed, poet of the New York underground, and “Lean on Me” singer Bill Withers, among others, as new members of the rock hall.

The hall announced today that it will also welcome Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, who famously sang about loving rock `n’ roll. And Ringo Starr will become the fourth ex-Beatle to be enshrined as an individual.

Reed won’t be the only posthumous inductee. Paul Butterfield and Stevie Ray Vaughan are also being honored.

Green Day made it in the group’s first year of eligibility. The Bay Area band led by Billie Joe Armstrong made the 1990s slackers anthem “Dookie.” And it hit a peak with the politically-themed concept disc “American Idiot” a decade later. Armstrong also starred in a Broadway musical based on “American Idiot.”

The 30th annual induction ceremony will be held at Cleveland, Ohio’s Public Hall next April 18. Public tickets go on sale Thursday. (AP)

CBS and Letterman’s production company announced the exit date on Wednesday. Letterman said earlier this year he was retiring after more than 30 years as a late-night host, and the network later named Stephen Colbert of Comedy Central as his replacement.

CBS didn’t announce Colbert’s starting date on Wednesday.

CBS chief Leslie Moonves said it’s going to be tough to say goodbye, but that “we will all cherish the shows leading up to Dave’s final broadcast in May.” (AP)

Festival organizers revealed the slate of films Wednesday by American and international directors that will be in competition at the independent-film showcase, which runs Jan. 21-31.

Silverman shows her dramatic side as a mom falling apart in the U.S. film “I Smile Back.” Fassbender appears in a drama from New Zealand called “Slow West.” Ejiofor and Pine share the screen in the American tale “Z for Zachariah.” Kidman stars in the Australian film “Strangerland,” set to play on the festival’s opening day: Jan. 22, 2015.

Sundance selections compete in U.S. and world dramatic and documentary categories.